dantaliannoshokafandomcom-20200213-history
Chapter 2 (light novel 4)
"Phantom Score" is the 2nd chapter of The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, volume 4''.'' It's divided into six parts and contains two illustrations. The chapter is labeled as Episode 14 in the story line. Hugh and Dalian were relaxing in a park when they meet Dallaglio and the peculiar violinist Christabel Sistine. The Biblioprincess becomes interested in the famous musician when they discover she's the only person capable of playing the Phantom Scores.The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, Chapter 2, volume 4. __TOC__ Summary Someone wakes up, stiff and cold, to watch silently a man play piano in the corner of the room. He had picked beautiful flowers with pale petals and placed them on the bedside table, using a ribbon to bundle them up. He would take her to the park in that morning, hoping to make her happy. She doesn’t understand why he was concerned about her, when all she could do was fulfill her purpose. There was no gain in wishing her happiness. Nevertheless, he gives her a gentle smile. Part 1 Dalian is in the shade, reading a book in a sunny summer afternoon, a basket packed with fried breads at her feet. She shows her teeth, furious. Hugh was playing violin in the park, producing a sound like glass being scratched. He stops when Dalian throws a plate at his back. It’s been six years since the last time he practiced, so he was having problems to use the instrument, which is in a bad condition. A young woman suddenly requests the violin with a clear voice. The blonde is too pale, as if she was sick. Dalian hides behind Hugh. A man wearing glasses runs towards them, out of breath. He asks Hugh to show them the instrument. The stranger studies the item and identifies some flaws. He takes a mallet from his bag and starts fixing the violin. Hugh is afraid of having his expensive possession destroyed. The woman in white tries the instrument. The heinous, loud sound makes Hugh cover his ears. He means to stop Christabel, but she starts playing for real with delicate movements. The magnificent music overwhelms the listeners and makes the surroundings more beautiful. She doesn’t hear Hugh and Dalian’s compliments because she’s too focused on her performance. The unknown man apologizes, explaining she never stops once she starts playing, but Hugh doesn’t mind. The melody attracts a small crowd. People were recognizing Christabel Sistine. The celebrity wants to keep playing, but his companion insists on leaving. Hugh agrees to lend her the violin. The man introduces himself as Dallaglio Hayward before dragging the young woman away. He seems to have known Hugh’s grandfather. Everyone watches as Christabel leaves the park while producing the touching sound. Part 2 A few days later, Hugh and Dalian visit a used bookstore. The Biblioprincess is sit on the floor in the back of the store, where one could smell the old papers and ink. Hugh calls the owner after finding an interesting booklet displayed in a glass case. The cover depicts a young woman in silk dress holding a violin. The subject also draws Dalian’s attention. The old man teases Hugh about his interest for Christabel Sistine. She’s indeed a reputed musician, rumored to be able of playing Guglielmo Baldini’s works. As Dalian explains in a bad mood, he’s responsible for 57 godlike compositions which flood people with euphoria. However, they are said to be impossible to reproduce for being too difficult to understand technically and for requiring high-level skills. Created at the end of the eighteenth century, now only two exist, called “Utopia” and “Twilight”. Violinists have died after challenging the Phantom Books of Musical Score, also known as Phantom Scores. The shopkeeper affirms Christabel only performs for a handful of aristocrats and other wealthy men. He shows an old newspaper revealing that the luxurious Sistine Hall would be inaugurated soon with a capacity of one thousand seats. Dalian is not happy knowing that Christabel is using a Phantom Score to enrich herself. She mocks Hugh for his eye for women. Part 3 Hugh and Dalian see the luxurious concert hall in the center of the city. Hundreds of people richly dresses were forming a long queue. They were fans hoping to meet Christabel and listen to her rehearsal before the next day’s big performance. Security was heavy around the building, so Hugh couldn’t retrieve his instrument. Dalian pushes him towards one of the guards to request a meeting with the violinist. The strong man treats her like a child, sticking a daisy into her hair. He also offers a candy wrapped in colorful paper when she insists. Dalian was so angry that she couldn’t speak. The Biblioprincess struggles furiously while Hugh drags her away. The latter calmly points at a suspicious man in the distance. Dallaglio was nervous, walking to the mechanical room of the concert hall. He was supposed to take care of Christabel, so he had no reason to head to such place. Perhaps it was a way of avoiding the fans. Dalian puts the candy in her mouth while observing the man. She decides to follow him, but Hugh stops her by grabbing her neck. He questions why she was interested in the Phantom Scores. Christabel was the only person capable of playing it, becoming its rightful owner. Dalian runs away from Hugh, affirming that there are things in this world better left alone. After winding through the alleyways, they reach a simple metal door at the stone wall of the concert hall. Dalian opens the door, revealing a steep staircase leading to the basement. Hugh smells oil, which is strange since there is no heavy equipment around, such as generators or heaters. The vast interior serves as a warehouse to store the large instruments. A hydraulic device is used to raise heavy objects to the stage. Hugh uses his lighter to examine the eerie machine loaded in the elevator. It’s an aggregate the size of a small car, resembling the inside of a clock tower, made of countless metals, including gears, piano wires and parts of music boxes. The cords of the apparatus are connected to a large piano. There’s a man in black in front of the instrument. Hugh wonders if he’s the accompanist in the concert. Hugh notices someone else in the underground darkness. He protects Dalian as a shadow moves to attack her with a baton. He falls on the floor and loses consciousness after being hit. Part 4 Hugh is uncomfortable, tied to a chair. He feels his temple throbbing in pain. The blood which soaked his coat had already dried. The underground lights were turned on. Christabel greets him. Hugh doesn’t feel hostility in her. The basement is the musician’s room. Dalian is also tied up next to him. Normally she would complain about Hugh fainting, but her mouth was covered. There is an old score placed in a music stand nearby. After an abnormal silence, Christabel reveals she would play one of Guglielmo Baldini’s songs to please Dallaglio. She also says that Mr. Kendrick is the one who beat and restrained him. The man is responsible for paying the violinist and financing her concert hall. Apparently, Hugh and Dalian saw something they weren’t supposed to see. Hugh examines the machine once again, noticing that the man in front of the piano is in fact a doll. The automaton is a friend Dallaglio made for her. She starts tuning an old violin as preparation. Hugh and Dalian listen to a famous song. The automaton, designed to activate when Christabel plays, responds to the beautiful melody by moving its fingers smoothly to touch the piano keyboard. Dalian stops complaining, overwhelmed by the music. The automatic doll may be the only accompanist who can perform with Christabel. Dallaglio appears out of breath. He apparently came running after hearing the performance. The man uncovers Dalian’s mouth. Before releasing them, he asks them to escape with Christabel before the inauguration ceremony. However, a middle-aged man interrupts them, opening the basement door violently. He seems a businessman with an intimidating atmosphere. Mr. Kendrick is being escorted by another person holding a black club in his left hand, the same used to hit Hugh. He’s also using his right hand to aim a pistol at Dallaglio. The latter questions Mr. Kendrick for bounding a small girl like Dalian. The hostile man says he had no choice, since they found that room. Nevertheless, Hugh and Dalian would not be hurt. They have become important guests who would be allowed to listen to Christabel’s performance. Hugh, a member of the noble Disward family, is qualified for that. Dallaglio affirms he wouldn’t let them listen to the concert. Hugh also says he wouldn’t pay for the presentation. After all, he had bad memories about classical music, learning with a harsh tutor. Mr. Kendrick ensures they will change their mind after the ceremony starts. Christabel would play a Phantom Score. Composed by Baldini, the work was addictive, explaining why so many people were waiting to attend the inauguration. Because they cannot forget its melody, the fans will obey any command in order to listen to it repeatedly. The concert hall was built so Mr. Kendrick could convert everyone into slaves. His plan is to control the entire population, including the King. Dallaglio’s cheeks are red from anger. Christabel was supposed to play until the concert hall was finished. However, Mr. Kendrick affirms he had invested too much to build the machine capable of performing the Phantom Scores. Christabel is a doll created to use musical instruments, like the automaton in front of the piano. Dallaglio threatens to publish her design drawings. He was trying to protect Christabel, believing she has her own will. Mr. Kendrick gestures to his employee. Dallaglio slowly collapses after being shot in the chest. From now on, his assistants would help Mr. Kendrick with the dolls. Christabel watches everything apathetically. She asks what is happening to Dallaglio. Dalian explains that he’s dying, like when something is broken and there’s no way to fix it. When the time for the concert comes, Christabel receives a violin and a bow from Mr. Kendrick’s escort. The manager will be sheltered in a soundproof room while the doll plays the Utopia. Part 5 They can hear the enthusiasm of the audience when the elevator carries Christabel and the pianist to the stage. Underground, Dallaglio crawls towards Hugh holding a small knife to cut the ropes restraining him. Dallaglio’s dream was to create a musical automaton that could move people. The dolls built by his father were despised by musicians. The Phantom Scores composed by Guglielmo Baldini motivated the craftsman, so he tried to use Mr. Kendrick to pay for the huge development costs. However, he didn’t expect Christabel would become so human. Dallaglio dies after releasing Hugh. Dalian, still restrained, listens to the beginning of the performance. Hugh rushes to cut her ropes, but it should be too late to avoid the magical effects of the Phantom Score. The sound produced by Christabel was being transmitted through the floorboard and walls. A crack appears in a thick wooden pillar nearby. The music coming from above is destructive, affecting the structure of the concert hall. The building was shaking because Christabel was disobeying an order by playing the Twilight rather than the Utopia. Although Dalian wants to retrieve the Phantom Score, they have no time left. Hugh carries her outside, moments before the basement collapses. While catching his breath, Hugh looks to the concert hall. Through a crack, he sees Christabel playing on the stage. Her body is partially destroyed due to the power of the Phantom Score. She notices Hugh and gives him a happy smile. Her music is heard throughout the kingdom until the building falls into ruins. Part 6 Hundreds of people were injured during the event. However, accidents only happened during the evacuation. As they told the reporters, it seems as if the violin told them to leave the concert hall as soon as Christabel started playing. Only Mr. Kendrick and his men died because of the catastrophe. After all, they couldn't hear the mysterious message inside the soundproof room. The body of Christabel Sistine was still missing. Hugh and Dalian visited the place the next week, hoping to find the Phantom Score. Hugh places a bouquet of white flowers among the rubble. Dalian is still blaming Hugh for losing the Baldini's compositions. The work required an automaton with human emotions, explaining why Dallaglio built Christabel like that. Perhaps he adjusted her mechanisms so she would play Twilight during the inauguration. As suggested by Dalian, another explanation is that she acted on her own will after seeing the death of her creator, noticing the meaning of happiness because of his kindness. There was no way of knowing the truth. Hugh touches Dalian’s forehead to check her temperature. He finds odd such gentle words leaving her mouth. Furious, she decides to return to the mansion by herself, although she doesn’t know the way. The Biblioprincess tries to talk to a passerby and ask for directions, half-hidden behind a streetlight. She returns indignant after receiving a large candy ball. After laughing, Hugh escorts her to the station. Dalian’s cheek is swollen with the candy. Hugh offers some lessons in how to play music. Dalian affirms she couldn’t learn properly from a tone-deaf tutor. He points out the mistakes she makes humming while reading her books. She scolds him as they leave for home.The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, Chapter 4, volume 2. References Category:Light Novel Chapters